Snippet #42

A few minutes later, Marek came running up to us, his hair flying all over his face. Blood stained parts of his hands and his jacket. “It’s not mine, if anyone’s wondering,” he said, holding up his hands.

“We weren’t.” Jonáš said. 

Marek reached out to push him. Jonáš took a step back. “Hey, now. Just because you’re okay with blood on your clothes doesn’t mean I am. Stay away from me, freak.”

Snippet #39

“Ugh. Why, homework, why?” Jonáš moaned.

            I rolled my eyes. Always so dramatic. If he wasn’t so set on making movies, I would have suggested that he take up acting. “What do you have to do?”

            “I need to find out people’s opinions on what love is. Like, what the hell? Love just is, there’s nothing else to it.”

            “Oh for God’s sake, just ask people.”

            Jonáš sighed, “All I’m going to get is people quoting Haddaway’s ‘What Is Love’.”

            “You will not.” I went back to my reading.

            “Hey, Marek!” Jonáš screamed, hoping Marek would hear him in the kitchen.

            “What?”

            “What is love?”

            “OH BABY DON’T HURT ME, DON’T HURT ME, NO MORE.” Marek responded instantly, followed by a crash, the sound of breaking dishware, and a string of curses. Jonáš and I both closed our eyes and waited for clarification. “I’m okay, just knocked over the drying rack . . . and everything that was on it.”

            We both nodded, accepting the explanation, and went back to our original conversation.

            “Didn’t I tell you that’s how people would respond?” Jonáš looked at me, unsure if he should be proud he proved me wrong or exasperated at his homework assignment.

      “You’re just asking the wrong people. Ask Sophie, I’m sure she’ll have something you can use.

      Once Sophie walked into the apartment, Jonáš pounced. “Sophie - this is for homework - what is love?”

      She smirked. “Naturally, I’m assuming Marek started singing the song to you?”

      Jonáš nodded.

      “Love is. . .” Sophie paused, thinking, “Love is taking me as I am, but leaving me better than you found me.”

Snippet #35

       “He’s a nice guy once you get to know him.” Sophie paused. “No, actually, he’s a real asshole. You just get used to it.”

Snippet #23

            “Guys, you’ll never guess what some old man said to me on the metro today!” Sophie burst into the room. Judging by how flustered she looked, she most likely ran here as fast as she could to share this trivial piece of information with anyone who would listen.

            “Did he say you could sit in his lap if the car got too crowded?” Jonáš asked, “That’s happened to me before. And it was super weird because he totally had crutches to help him walk. Like, I’m not going to sit on man’s lap when he needs support for his legs. I’d feel like a dipshit person.”

            Sophie looked perplexed as she deciphered Jonáš’s offhand comment.  “No. He said that I had a neck ‘built for pearls’. What does that even mean?”

Snippet #17

“And you don’t expect to get a pretty girl?” I shot back.

Jonáš made a face, “Pansexual, sweetheart. Doesn’t have to be a pretty girl. A pretty boy will do just fine. I’m not picky.”

Snippet #16

“Sophie, why are you in our house? Don’t you have your own place to live?” Marek asked. He was only wearing his bath towel, which was a tad surprising.

            Sophie wasn’t fazed. “Yeah, but my roommate has her boyfriend over. And I know I’m a pretty open minded person and everything, but some things you just don’t do – and sleeping with your roommate and her boyfriend is one of them.” 

            As if on cue, Jonáš popped his head around the doorframe. “Sex?”

            “No. They’re taking a nap.”

Snippet #10

Jonáš sat flabbergasted. “She – she just broke his nose.”

“Time to go in,” Marek pulled Jonáš towards the fist fight. “You take the girl; I’ll handle the other guy.”

Jonáš looked terrified. “Why do I get the girl? I don’t want my face destroyed!”

           “Better yours than mine,” Marek grinned. Jonáš just rolled his eyes and they entered the fight screaming fake siren noises.